Scott Brown announces his international retirement

Scott Brown believes Gordon Strachan can lead Scotland to World Cup 2018 in Russia after the Celtic midfielder announced his retirement from the international arena.

The former captain has taken the decision to prolong his club career after recovering from injury.

Brown, 31, made his international debut against USA in 2005 and after more than a decade’s service to his country confirmed the decision to the national coach ahead of next week’s squad announcement for the opening World Cup qualifier against Malta in September.

The Celtic skipper – who entered the International Roll of Honour when he earned his 50th cap against Denmark in March - admits it was the toughest decision of his career but after a summer of introspection, he admitted the demands of international football could not be sustained along with a hectic club schedule both domestically and in Europe.

“Firstly, I would like to thank Gordon for giving me the honour of not only playing for my country but captaining Scotland in the last campaign. I also owe a debt to every Scotland manager before him who selected me – right back to Walter Smith handing me my senior debut, and the national youth coaches along the way,” he said.

“Gordon has been one of the most influential people in my career and I did not want to let him or my country down but over the summer I had a lot of thinking to do. It’s no secret that I’ve suffered some injuries in my career and once you get over 30 you have to protect your body more, in any case.

“I’m not the type of player who can coast half-heartedly through a game – I give 100% every time. Given the importance of this campaign for Scotland, and the challenges ahead at Celtic, I simply felt that I could not keep up both commitments without either my performances or recovery time suffering.

“Gordon understands this completely and I would hope the Scotland supporters understand my position, too. The personal disappointment of not reaching a major championship finals with my country was heightened this summer but we have a great squad of players and I am certain that we can really make a go of this campaign and qualify for Russia.

“I genuinely think we showed in the last campaign that we are good enough to compete with Germany, the world champions, and other nations who qualified ahead of us. I would like to thank the fans who travel across Europe to back us, my team-mates and the backroom staff for their support and look forward to seeing them soon.”

The national coach gave a glowing endorsement of Brown’s contribution to his country.

“Scott is one of the most wholehearted players I’ve encountered and somebody who puts the team ahead of himself. He is not the type to play within himself, either, and I understand and respect the decision he has taken.

“I have huge admiration for a player as selfless as he has been: to sacrifice family time and recovery time to help his country.

“We will miss Scott as a player, no doubt about it, but football evolves and it provides an opportunity for others to step-up take that responsibility. We’ll miss him as a person, too, because his influence and popularity around the squad was integral to all that we did as a group.”